Taste: ****1/2
Service: ****1/2
So I took January off, sue me! Well actually I've been trying to scrounge up on some time between moving back into school and the bullshit work load I now have. So over winter break I checked out Donovan's for lunch in South Norwalk, CT. I'd been a ton of time mostly after 10 P.M. and always to drink. My mom kept nagging me over and over again to go try the food there. Apparently her and her friends cackled over many a lunch there. What the hell right? Couldn't hurt.My sister owed me big time anyway for being hella awesome, so she took me out to lunch.
First thing you'll notice about Donovan's when you walk in is that unlike most bars, it doesn't look like someone vomited a garage full of sports memorabilia onto the walls. The place looks like someone put a good amount of money into the wood work. Plus there's TVs everywhere, a must for any decent bar. Donovan's has been around a LONG time and apparently the original older sold it and then bought it back. Anyway who cares? You're here to read about the food right? For the sake of accuracy, here's a picture of the bar:
(Nice right?)
The menu isn't extreme in any way, shape, or form but I have a hard time calling is standard bar fair. Here's the menu if you are curious: HERE I've heard good things about salads and the combination of things you can get in them, but what kind of guy would I be ordering a salad, especially on a website that more than three people might read (I'm being optimistic). I've heard really good things about the sliders, the lobster one in particular but I didn't go that route.
Anyway, for starters we have the following: Cajun Popcorn Shrimp. You know its going to be good just from the name. Any meat in "popcorn" form is good. I challenge you to prove me wrong. What sets this shrimp apart from most is the dipping sauce. Its a Lemon Chipotle Aioli dipping sauce. Lemon and shrimp go hand in hand of course, but throw in chipotle and mayonnaise? Sold. Needless to say it was devoured in mere moments. PICTURE:
So before I get to the good stuff. Here's what my sister ordered. Being that she's boring and into being healthy or something, she got a Cobb Salad with grilled chicken. Yawn. I tried it though, it was really good but you didn't hear that from me. PICTURE:
(Cobb Salad couple with a nice creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette. I swear I'm straight!)
Now to the real stuff. The real GOOD stuff. Starting with the side order, I got the sweet potato fries. Its weird because I hate sweet potatoes but love them fried. I guess its that old adage that anything fried is good. They came with a molasses dip which most places serve with sweet potato fries. I've started getting them recently as a change of pace from the regular old spuds. Now for the main course, the coup de grâce to my hunger (I copied and pasted that out of Google after I searched its definition). The burger:
(BEHOLD YE OF POOR TASTE BUDS. TIS YOUR SAVIOUR)
That my friends is a burger covered with jalapeno jack cheese and then camouflaged on top by a fried over-easy egg. Wonderful. I've been told by some that they haven't tried a burger with a fried egg on top. If you're a burger fan and haven't tried it yet stop reading and go get one NOW. I'm not kidding, GO DAMNIT! Its like breakfast and dinner's bastard love child. The burger was thick and juicy and perfectly cooked. (Applause for the chef). Also there was some coleslaw or something...
Now I leave you with a final stage of the meal, dessert. Whoever thought of this dessert was a depraved mad man. I'm assuming the thought process went something like this: "What already unhealthy, saturated fat filled, cream stuffed dessert can I take and wrap in egg roll wrapper to deep fry in a vat of oil? Of course! Cheesecake!" Yes that's right fried cheesecake. I'll just say one phrase to describe it. "Fucking great."
(If you eat this more than once a month you will die)
Now you probably took a look at the menu before, if you're lazy and didn't the prices are pretty standard for bar food. I would make the argument though that its above average bar food quality and more akin to restaurant food. The service was also great, the waitress was nice to us and every other customer in the place. She'd chat it up but the service was never slow and was a real pleasure to deal with. So Donovan's I apologize for thinking of you as just another place to drink. Your food is great.
Norwalk, CT 06854
